Guenter Grass urged Turkey to acknowledge Armenian GenocideApril 15, 2010 - 11:51 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - German Nobel Prize-winning author Guenter Grass urged Turkey to acknowledge the country's crime against Armenians during World War I, DPA reported. Speaking while on a visit to Istanbul, Grass said such recognition would be the most important step which Turkey could take in the direction of joining Europe. "When will the moment arrive that the crime of the annihilation of the Armenians in 1915-1916 will be recognized as fact?" he asked. "I hope it will be soon," he added. His remarks were the latest in the ongoing controversy over Turkey's official stance regarding the Armenian Genocide. The Armenian Genocide The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |